Athlon II X2 280 vs Pentium 3560M
Athlon II X2 280
Pentium 3560M
Performance Spectrum - CPU
About PassMark
PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.
Value Upgrade Path
This is the official ChipVERSUS Value Rating, comparing raw performance (PassMark) per dollar. Components placed above yours deliver better value for money. The Athlon II X2 280 is positioned at rank 638 and the Pentium 3560M is on rank 153, so the Pentium 3560M offers better cost-efficiency for playing games.
Avg price is the current average price collected from markets across the web.
Performance Per Dollar Athlon II X2 280
Performance Per Dollar Pentium 3560M
Performance Comparison
About PassMark🏆 Chipversus Verdict
🚀 Performance Leadership
| Insight | Athlon II X2 280 | Pentium 3560M |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming | ✅ Superior gaming performance | ❌ Lower gaming performance |
| Workstation | ✅ Better multi-core power | ❌ Weaker in multi-core tasks |
| Price | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
| Longevity | 🛑 Legacy (Regor (2009−2013) / 45 nm) | 🛑 Legacy (Haswell (2013−2015) / 22 nm) |
💎 Value Proposition
| Insight | Athlon II X2 280 | Pentium 3560M |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency | ❌ Lower cost efficiency |
| Upfront Cost | ⚠️ Higher cost ($15) | ✅ More affordable ($0) |
Performance Check
To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.
Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.
Technical Specifications
Side-by-side comparison of Athlon II X2 280 and Pentium 3560M
Athlon II X2 280
The Athlon II X2 280 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in 6 February 2013 (12 years ago). It is based on the Regor (2009−2013) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 3.6 GHz. L3 cache: 0 kB. L2 cache: 1 MB. Built on 45 nm process technology. Socket: AM3. Thermal design power (TDP): 65 Watt. Memory support: DDR2, DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,355 points. Launch price was $100.
Pentium 3560M
The Pentium 3560M is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 14 April 2014 (11 years ago). It is based on the Haswell (2013−2015) architecture. It features 2 cores and 2 threads. Base frequency is 2.4 GHz, with boost up to 2.4 GHz. L3 cache: 2 MB. L2 cache: 512 kB. Built on 22 nm process technology. Socket: PGA946. Thermal design power (TDP): 37 Watt. Memory support: DDR3. Passmark benchmark score: 1,345 points. Launch price was $134.
Processing Power
Both the Athlon II X2 280 and Pentium 3560M share an identical 2-core/2-thread configuration. Boost clocks reach 3.6 GHz on the Athlon II X2 280 versus 2.4 GHz on the Pentium 3560M — a 40% clock advantage for the Athlon II X2 280 (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2.4 GHz). The Athlon II X2 280 uses the Regor (2009−2013) architecture (45 nm), while the Pentium 3560M uses Haswell (2013−2015) (22 nm). In PassMark, the Athlon II X2 280 scores 1,355 against the Pentium 3560M's 1,345 — a 0.7% lead for the Athlon II X2 280. L3 cache: 0 kB on the Athlon II X2 280 vs 2 MB on the Pentium 3560M.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 280 | Pentium 3560M |
|---|---|---|
| Cores / Threads | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| Boost Clock | 3.6 GHz+50% | 2.4 GHz |
| Base Clock | 3.6 GHz+50% | 2.4 GHz |
| L3 Cache | 0 kB | 2 MB |
| L2 Cache | 1 MB+100% | 512 kB |
| Process | 45 nm | 22 nm-51% |
| Architecture | Regor (2009−2013) | Haswell (2013−2015) |
| PassMark | 1,355 | 1,345 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 290 | — |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 550 | — |
Memory & Platform
The Athlon II X2 280 uses the AM3 socket (PCIe 2.0), while the Pentium 3560M uses PGA946 (PCIe 3.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 280 | Pentium 3560M |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | AM3 | PGA946 |
| PCIe Generation | PCIe 2.0 | PCIe 3.0+50% |
| Max RAM Speed | DDR3-1333 | — |
| Max RAM Capacity | 16 GB | — |
| RAM Channels | 2 | — |
| ECC Support | ✅ | — |
| PCIe Lanes | 0 | — |
Advanced Features
Virtualization: AMD-V (Athlon II X2 280) / not specified (Pentium 3560M). Primary use case: Athlon II X2 280 targets Legacy Desktop. Direct competitor: Athlon II X2 280 rivals Pentium E6700.
| Feature | Athlon II X2 280 | Pentium 3560M |
|---|---|---|
| Integrated GPU | No | — |
| Unlocked | No | — |
| AVX-512 | No | — |
| Virtualization | AMD-V | — |
| Target Use | Legacy Desktop | — |
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